An exciting new event in Icon's calendar, the Winter Reception is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the incredible impact of conservators.
Join us at the Crafts Council Gallery in London on Thursday 6th November for an evening of connection, reflection, and inspiration. Bringing Icon's membership together with friends and colleagues across the heritage sector, we're looking forward to spotlighting the brilliant work in conservation and the practitioners behind it! With a programme including our AGM, Annual Lecture, the Conservation Awards and Photography Prize, there's no shortage of things to celebrate. We hope to see you there!
The programme
The Icon AGM
5pm-5:30pm
The 21st Annual General Meeting of the Institute of Conservation will be held in person and online at 5.00pm on Thursday 6th November 2025.
A member of the Institute of Conservation who is entitled to attend and vote at the meeting (being a paid-up Accredited, Associate, Pathway, Student or Emeritus Member) is entitled to appoint a proxy, who need not be a member of the Institute of Conservation, to attend and vote instead of them. Proxies may be appointed via emails to [email protected] so long as they are received before 5.00pm (UTC+01:00) on Monday 3rd November 2025. Those received later will not be counted.
For in-person or online attendance, please register separately on the AGM event page, where the agenda and papers will be shared in advance of the meeting.
The Annual Lecture
6pm-7pm
From ‘that dress’ worn by both Kim Kardashian and Marilyn Monroe to the re-interpreting legacies of Empire, Icon’s Annual Lectures seek to engage and inspire.
An opportunity to hear from eminent speakers making waves in the heritage sector, watch this space for our 2025 speaker announcement!
Online streaming for the Annual Lecture remains free for Icon members. You can register for streaming here.
The Conservation Awards
7:20pm-7:45pm
The Conservation Awards promote the wider recognition of conservation and the value it brings to society, shining a spotlight on highly skilled practitioners who are championing advances in best practice, research and training.
After great successes in 2023 and 2024, Icon is bringing the Conservation Awards back for a third year, this time at the Winter Reception. We're delighted to have generous support from friends across and beyond the sector enabling us to continue recognising excellence and introduce two brand new Awards for 2025.
This year's Conservation Awards are:
The Award for Heritage Conservation in Action (sponsored by the Marsh Charitable Trust)
The Award for Innovation in Conservation (sponsored by the Marsh Charitable Trust)
The Award for Emerging Talent in Conservation (sponsored by the Marsh Charitable Trust)
The Award for Environmental Sustainability in Conservation (sponsored by UtilityAid)
The Award for Protecting Skills at Risk
The Award for Conservation Volunteer of the Year
For more information on the Awards, eligibilty, how to apply and previous winners, visit the Conservation Awards page.
The Photography Prize
7:45pm-8pm
Following the success of its debut in 2023, Icon's Photography Prize is returning in 2025 to showcase the brilliance of conservation in all its forms. With the generous support of Tru Vue, this year's Prize offers an exciting opportunity to put your best lens forward and start capturing! This year’s theme is ‘encounters’ and we encourage you to submit photographs that highlight the people, processes and objects that underpin your work.
For more information on the Prize and how to enter, visit the Photography Prize page.
Drinks Reception
8pm-9pm
After all the celebrations, we'll be catching up with colleagues, friends, and connections over drinks and canapes generously sponsored by Spencer & Fry. The Crafts Council Gallery is a beautiful space and will be complimented with an exhibition of the Photography Prize shortlist framed by Tru Vue for attendees to enjoy.
The venue
We're delighted to be hosting the Winter Reception at the Crafts Council Gallery in London. The national charity for craft, their work is brilliantly algined with Icon's own, including research, advocacy, professional development and training.
The Crafts Council Gallery, Islington
Crafts Council have a long history supporting and advocating for craft and conservation.
Our sponsors
Headline Sponsor
Tru Vue
Icon are delighted to have the generous support of Tru Vue as the Headline Sponsor for the Winter Reception
Tru Vue are longstanding advocates for the arts, preventive conservation, and professionalism. They work closely with the museum and conservation community to develop innovative, sustainable solutions that meet superior aesthetic and conservation standards, including acrylic and glass with UV protection, anti-reflective and anti-static properties. Dedicated to the wider development of the sector, Tru Vue also offer grants and educational materials designed to inspire and support the preservation of cultural heritage.
Drinks Sponsor
Spencer & Fry
Accredited by the Icon, Spencer & Fry are a team of highly qualified and skilled preventive conservation experts and filming conservators with over 80 years collective experience.
Working in partnership with heritage organisations, museums, galleries, historic houses and stately homes, Spencer & Fry are committed to caring for collections whilst also understanding the desire to share historic spaces with a wider audience through opening to the public, events, exhibitions or as filming locations.
Award Sponsors
The Marsh Charitable Trust supports Award schemes celebrating the outstanding contributions of people who are committed to social, cultural and environmental causes. Founded in 1981 by its current Chairman, Mr Brian Marsh OBE, the Trust's aim is to support the organisations and people who are making a difference.
Utility Aid is the UK's largest broker for the not-for-profit sector. Supporting Icon's vision to protect, preserve, and promote treasured cultural heritage, they acknowledge that managing a building can be challenging, and controlling costs is critical to ensure the organisation operates effectively. Utility Aid are passionate about keeping energy costs down so you can do just that.